Less than a week after a group tied to Gov. J.B. Pritzker launched television advertising in favor of the governor’s marquee graduated tax proposal, another dark money group launched a campaign aimed at persuading a group of Democratic legislators to oppose the measure.

Ideas Illinois is calling on four Democrats in the House to oppose “the Pritzker-Madigan Jobs Tax on middle class families.” The representatives targeted in the ads include Monica Bristow of Alton, Jonathan Carroll of Northbrook, Mary Edly-Allen of Libertyville and Terra Costa Howard of Glen Ellyn.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker named an executive from a south suburban child welfare organization on Wednesday to head the beleaguered Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, which is facing renewed scrutiny after the recent deaths of two toddlers whose families were previously investigated by the agency.

Marc D. Smith, executive vice president of foster care and intact services at Olympia Fields-based Aunt Martha’s Health & Wellness, will be the 15th person to lead the child welfare agency since 2003, a number that includes acting and interim directors. His appointment must be confirmed by the state Senate.

Chicago architect Jeanne Gang, whose city projects have included skyline-changing high-rises, Chicago River boathouses and a college dorm, will lead a team of architects tapped to design the massive $8.5 billion O’Hare International Airport expansion.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Wednesday that Studio ORD Joint Venture Partners was selected from among five high-powered, global teams of architects on Chicago’s short list, and will enter contract negotiations with the city. The project is expected to break ground in 2023.

The small group behind the federal lawsuit challenging the construction of the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park got a big boost on Wednesday, a $100,000 “initial” grant from the Reva and David Logan Foundation.

The Logan Foundation money is to “support” the “fight” by Protect Our Parks “to stop the inappropriate allocation of public land at Jackson Park to a private foundation,” the foundation said in a statement.

With Chicago Schools CEO Janice Jackson on the verge of getting a new boss, about a dozen principals came to the Board of Education meeting Wednesday to pump her up and thank her for awarding their schools specialty programs.

The city’s mayor appoints Chicago Public Schools’ CEO, as well as members of the school board, but Mayor Rahm Emanuel is on his way out. Voters on Tuesday will select his successor. Of the two women vying to replace Emanuel, only one, Toni Preckwinkle, has vowed to keep Jackson. Lori Lightfoot has said she would make a decision after she’s elected.

Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner Andrew Gasser again submitted more than $107,000 in road salt bills for the township board to audit last week.

And, again, the board rejected them.

If voters reject Newport Township Fire Protection District’s request for a $3.5 million bond issue in Tuesday’s election, the cash-strapped department will have to lay off three firefighters, effectively turning fire station 2 into a garage, officials said.

The district is set to run a deficit of more than $100,000 in the fiscal year beginning May 1, according to a news release.

After years of trying to figure out what to do with Peoria Stadium, there is finally some movement.

This summer, work could begin on a new roof for the grandstand if the Peoria Public Schools board gets favorable bids within the next few weeks. Also planned for this summer is the instillation on a new 8-foot-by-13-foot digital sign that would be placed beneath the stadium’s iconic wooden, football-shaped sign. The school board signed off on the new sign at its meeting Monday.